Lee: Maternity services return to Regional Medical Center

Five years ago, I stood with nurses on a picket line when Regional Medical Center (RMC) announced the closure of its Labor and Delivery Ward. Despite public outcry, the unit closed in 2020 — a devastating loss to the East San Jose community.

After taking office as a Santa Clara County supervisor, RMC informed us it would also shut down its Trauma Level II Emergency Department and critical STEMI services for strokes and heart attacks in August 2024 — again citing financial reasons. Protests followed, but the outcome was the same: lifesaving services gone.

That’s why I was deeply relieved when, after two years of tense negotiations, Santa Clara County was able to purchase RMC for $150 million in April. We avoided eminent domain and costly lawsuits — and more importantly, prevented a vital hospital from going bankrupt, as nearly happened with O’Connor and St. Louise in Gilroy. In both of those cases, the county stepped in to save a hospital when no one else would.

Immediately upon taking ownership, we reopened the Trauma Level II ER on April 1 and began integrating RMC into the county’s Valley Medical Center (VMC) health system. Seeing ambulances pulling in again that day was a powerful reminder of how critical RMC is for residents from Milpitas to North and East San Jose, and beyond.

Some ask why the county operates four hospitals and whether it would be more financially sound to sell them. The reality is this: Our hospitals alone are unprofitable because they serve a disproportionate share of Medi-Cal and Medicare patients with low federal reimbursements. Private systems often won’t — or can’t — sustain care for these populations. Only a public safety net entity like Santa Clara County can absorb the financial burden to provide care for all, regardless of income or insurance.

The value of our public hospitals is often underestimated. Valley Medical Center, for example, is one of only two hospitals in the region — along with Stanford — rated Trauma Level I. It also houses the only Burn Center in the Bay Area, and one of just three between Oregon and Los Angeles. VMC’s Rehabilitation Center was recently ranked seventh nationally and best in the West Coast. These are resources every resident may one day need, even those with private insurance. But this system is now under threat.

Congressional bill H.R. 1 — dubbed “The Big Beautiful Bill” — proposes cuts that would cost our hospital system $1 billion annually. That level of defunding would be catastrophic. To survive, we’ll need deep cuts and new revenue sources.

That’s why Measure A on the November ballot is so important. It would raise approximately $330 million per year — only one-third of the funding we need, but a critical start.

Looking ahead, I’m thrilled RMC’s Labor and Delivery Ward has now reopened on Oct. 16. Welcoming new life back into that facility is a full-circle moment — but it will only matter if we can keep it open.

Let’s not wait for another crisis. We must protect our public hospital system now — because someday, every one of us may need it.

District 3 Supervisor Otto Lee is president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and chair of the Health and Hospital Committee.